Business of the House

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Thursday 4th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we are committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and we are major aid donors to Afghanistan, with up to £154 million allocated in the last financial year. As the Foreign Secretary said in February,

“The rights of all Afghans must be protected.”

FCDO officials engage with the Taliban Government in Afghanistan and urge them to reverse their oppressive decrees on human rights, but I will make sure the hon. Gentleman gets a response from the relevant Minister to set out all the actions we are taking.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope you and the Leader of the House will join me in congratulating Bolton Wanderers on their promotion to the championship after beating Stockport recently 4-1 at Wembley. Bolton’s promotion has been a huge effort by the players, the staff and the fans, and the Wanderers’ turnaround has been made possible by the fantastic stewardship of Sharon Brittan, after the previous owners nearly drove the club into the ground. That is why I am proud that this Government have established the Independent Football Regulator, to make sure that what happened to Wanderers can never happen again. Will the Leader of the House join me in recognising the vital contribution that clubs such as Bolton make to our social fabric?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I absolutely join my hon. Friend in celebrating the return of the Wanderers to the championship and in paying tribute to Sharon Brittan for the role she has played. The Government are taking action to promote a more sustainable game and ensure the success of English football in the long term, because, as he rightly points out, our local football clubs are absolutely vital to the communities that support them.